christopher price

Positional battles are getting clearer for Patriots

FOXBORO — With the preseason halfway done and the regular season just two-plus weeks away, the few starting positions that were up for grabs at the start of the summer are starting to come into a sharper focus. Here’s a look at four positions that were question marks heading into training camp, and where those positional battles now stand.

Inside linebacker, specifically the spot next to Jerod Mayo in the Patriots’ 3-4:Gary Guyton, who started all 16 games next to Mayo last year — and even wore the green dot on his helmet when Mayo was sidelined with a knee injury early in the 2009 season — entered camp as the de facto incumbent. He was expected to face competition from rookie Brandon Spikes and Tyrone McKenzie, the latter of whom was out all last year because of a knee injury.

But after Guyton went down with a knee problem a couple of weeks ago, Spikes has seized the opportunity, drawing the start in the first two preseason games and getting most of the reps with the starting defense in practice. After spending some time with the starters early in camp, McKenzie now appears to be spending most of his time with the backups, and is clearly No. 3 on the depth chart at this point. (Over the first two preseason games, McKenzie’s playing time has been limited to the second half.) Guyton has since returned, but Spikes has done enough to distinguish himself that it remains a tossup entering the all-important third preseason game.

Winner: To this point, it’s been Spikes.

Wide receiver, specifically the outside spot opposite Randy Moss: At the start of camp, it was a crowded field that included Torry Holt, David Patten, Brandon Tate, Sam Aiken and Taylor Price. That picture changed when Holt was placed on IR and Patten retired, which opened up the field for a group of youngsters and Aiken. However, while the youngsters Tate and Price have played well, there’s a question as to how much they’ve distinguished themselves, and it appears they might not be quite ready for heavy game action. (We should know more by the end of the preseason.)

The Patriots have opened both preseason games in a multiple tight-end set that’s featured just one wide receiver, Randy Moss. At this point, with the pass-catching skills flashed by rookie tight end Aaron Hernandez and the continued quick rehab of slot receiver Wes Welker, it could ultimately render the need for another starting outside wide receiver moot, with the Patriots instead relying heavily on a set that features multiple tight ends, Moss split wide and Welker in the slot.

Winner: Undecided.

Running back: The running back shuffle that the Patriots and Bill Belichick have employed through the first two games has shown us that Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor still might have enough in the tank for at least one more season, but it still hasn’t brought us any closer to a decision about the status of one Laurence Maroney. Maroney, who is probably the closest thing to a feature back the franchise has at this point (he had 757 yards and nine touchdowns on 194 carries last season despite being plagued by inconsistency and red-zone fumbling) should get his chance as a starter Thursday against the Rams.

If he has another night like that Thursday against the Falcons when he didn’t touch the ball at all (after getting just eight carries in the preseason opener against the Saints), then it will almost certainly raise eyebrows about his future. But Maroney doesn’t seem fazed.

“I know how good I am,” said Maroney after practice on Tuesday. “I know the type of player I am and how much help I can bring to the team. It’s just going out there and getting the coaches to believe the same thing and proving it to them on an every day basis and being consistent with it.

“For the people who’ve watched my career, I had great times and I had some low times. The talent shows itself and it’s there. It’s just being consistent with it, and that’s my main goal, coming in every day for practice and being consistent and every game being consistent. I know my abilities are going to be there.”

Winner: Undecided, but Maroney — who is heading into a free-agent year — needs to be productive the rest of the preseason if he wants to match the number of regular-season carries he had in 2009.

Tight end: At the start of the summer, this was an area plagued by uncertainty and doubt. While there’s still a question about whether or not rookies Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski can sustain their impressive early performances over the course of a full season, after two preseason games the position certainly looks more secure than it was at the start of training camp.

While Hernandez has emerged as the most unique pass catcher the Patriots have had since Bill Belichick arrived, Gronkowski has emerged as a bit of a hybrid blocker/receiver and the veteran Alge Crumpler has provided a veteran influence for the young duo, as well as superior blocking skills. In a few months, it’s gone from a position of weakness to a position of strength.

Winner: While all three have been productive, to this point, the winner has been Hernandez.

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